1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for producing a hot-rolled product by
continuously casting a strand, PA1 separating a strand piece from the strand, PA1 thermally influencing the strand piece by temperature equalization and/or strand piece heating, and PA1 hot-rolling the strand piece, wherein PA1 continuous casting takes place at two or several continuous casters and the strand pieces are rolled in a rolling mill associated with these continuous casters and to which the strand pieces are conducted by diverting the strand pieces into the line of the rolling mill from at least one of the continuous casters whose line does not register with the line of the rolling mill, as well as an arrangement for carrying out the process.
2. Prior Art
A process of this kind as well as an arrangement for carrying out the process are known from EP-B 0 492 226 and EP-B 0 593 002.
According to EP-B 0 492 226, the diversion of a strand piece from the line of one of the continuous casters into the line of the rolling mill is effected by means of two guide sections designed as swing furnaces, wherein one swing furnace is arranged in the line of the continuous caster and the second swing furnace is arranged in the line of the rolling mill and both of the swing furnaces in one pivoted position each are capable of being aligned so as to register with the line in which they are arranged and in a second pivoted position each are capable of being placed in a straight line connection with the free ends of the two swing furnaces joining each other.
It is thereby possible, after having introduced a strand piece into the swing furnace arranged in the line of the continuous caster, to pass over into the swing furnace provided in the line of the rolling mill by pivoting the swing furnaces into the connected position and to subsequently feed the thus diverted strand piece to the rolling mill by pivoting back the second swing furnace into the line of the rolling mill.
A very similar method and arrangement are known from EP-B 0 593 002, wherein also there two pivotable or laterally movable furnaces are provided, which serve to divert a strand part from a line of a continuous caster into the line of the rolling mill. Also there, the two movable furnaces join each other in an aligned manner, yet the conveying direction of the strand part is reversed two times, i.e., the strand piece when being conveyed from one line to the other moves in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the continuous caster and the rolling mill.
Those known processes and plants involve the drawback of the imperative timed coupling of the two pivotable or movable furnaces, since they must be aligned to mutually register in order to divert a strand piece. Hence results the timed coupling of the lines of the continuous casters with the line of the rolling mill. During diversion it is, in fact, not feasible to continue to operate the line from which, or into which, the strand piece is to be conveyed, i.e., the interruption of operation is absolutely necessary until the strand piece to be diverted has moved totally out of one line and into that line into which it is to be brought, thus being conveyed further.
The invention aims at avoiding these drawbacks and difficulties and has as its object to provide a process of the initially defined kind and a plant for carrying out this process, which allow for the rolling of strand pieces from two or several casters by means of a single rolling mill, wherein, however, the casting and rolling operations may be organized in a largely flexible manner and, in particular, decoupling from a time-dependent diversion of a strand piece is to be ensured to the effect that not all of the lines involved in the diversion of a strand piece will be out of operation simultaneously for conveying further strand pieces; it rather is to be feasible, even after having started or terminated the diversion of a strand piece from one line into another line to keep the other line still going, nevertheless.